Using Driver Simulators to Measure the Impact of Distracted Driving on Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators [Research Brief]

NHTSA · 2015 · ROSA P / United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

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Summary

This research brief investigates the impact of distracted driving on commercial motor vehicle (CMV) operators, addressing a critical safety concern for professional drivers. Rather than relying on crash analysis or naturalistic driving studies, the study utilized state-of-the-art motion-based driving simulators to ensure driver immersion and minimize simulation adaptation syndrome. The research was motivated by common complaints and issues related to distracted driving identified through front-end analysis with trucking companies. The primary objective was to measure performance deficits caused by specific handheld devices and external distractions in realistic traffic scenarios, including congested traffic, highway driving, and work zones. The experimental design involved 25 professional CMV operators with at least five years of driving experience. Participants engaged in eight distinct scenarios that combined different distraction types: no devices (control), cell phone use alone, touchscreen MP3 player use alone, both devices simultaneously, external events alone, and various combinations of devices and external events. To control variability, researchers provided standardized MP3 players, while participants used their own cell phones to ensure familiarity. Data collection included simulator performance metrics, trained observer assessments, and physiological measurements using electroencephalography (EEG) and electrocardiography (ECG) devices to monitor workload and attention levels. The findings indicate that the use of cell phones, touchscreen MP3 players, external distractions, or any combination thereof causes significant deficits in driving performance. Physiological data revealed that both MP3 players and cell phones increased cognitive workload and decreased attention. Performance measures suggested that actively using a touchscreen MP3 player resulted in the largest performance deficiencies. The study identified specific error types associated with distraction: lane deviations accounted for 71% of total errors, speeding violations (too slow or too fast) comprised 20%, off-road or dangerous braking violations made up 8%, and collisions or other incidents represented 1%. The study concludes that distracted driving significantly impairs CMV operator performance and suggests that research findings should be paired with awareness campaigns to influence driver behavior. Recommendations include outreach efforts targeting both CMV operators and the general public. These efforts involved video testimonials from participants, presentations at local college campuses, advertisements on local news stations, and articles in transportation and non-academic publications. The research was conducted by Ronald W. Tarr at the University of Central Florida using State Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program grant funds, providing controlled, safe, and realistic data on the physiological and performance impacts of distraction in commercial driving.

Key finding

Actively using a touchscreen MP3 player produced the largest performance decrements, and lane deviations accounted for 71 percent of all distracted-driving errors.

Methodology

simulator

Sample size: 25

Provenance

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• visual
• external distraction
• mobile phones
• visual manual
• manual
• distraction detection algorithms

Information type

What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).

• Empirical Findings: observational prevalence, behavioral performance data
• Methodological Resource: tool software